Carry That Weight
by Jiniki
Summary: Spike is dead. As depression settles over the Bebop, will Jet and Faye find comfort in each other? Jet/Faye
1. The Morning After

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the characters portrayed in this fanfic. Cowboy Bebop © Sunrise Inc. and Bandai Entertainment. And anything else I forgot.  
  
Author's Note: Wow, the very first chapter to the very first fanfic I've ever put up here. Be gentle! _ No, really, I think it's OK. Hopefully this will develop into a long-running fic, but then again, things don't always go according to plan!  
  
Carry That Weight  
  
Chapter 1: The Morning After  
  
  
  
The rusty alarm clock rang, barely audible after years of use. It didn't really matter anyway, since she was already awake. She hadn't slept a wink.  
  
Slowly pulling herself from the cluttered sheets of her makeshift bed, Faye rubbed her eyes, taking a moment to recollect her thoughts. Her mind was a blank slate at the moment, as if in a daze. Suddenly, the memories flooded her conscience, hitting her with all the force of a hangover at 3:00 a.m. Her eyes filled with tears as her head began to spin; it had all happened so fast, yet she was seeing it in slow motion. Seeing the fake eye. Seeing him walk away. Seeing the blurriness of her own tears. And that's about the time she realized it.  
  
He was gone, and it hurt.  
  
She sat in bed like that for an hour, at least, just thinking about him and crying. Everything she had known about him had now become sacred..but why? Why did he have to throw it all away?  
  
Sniffling, Faye rose from the bed and tightened her red jacket around herself as she left the empty room. She sniffed the air; Jet was already up making breakfast. She could smell smoke, but no food.  
  
'Probably that tasteless crap they call oatmeal,' she thought with a snort.  
  
The hallways were so empty. Just deep red tunnels, sending the light pat of her footsteps around and around in a tired echo. Except for her own feet, not a single other noise reverberated in the Bebop. The air was thick and crisp with the smell of metal and smoke. Everything seemed so depressing to her, even the squeaky steps leading down into the 'living room'.  
  
'It's not even a living room..more like a dirty sardine can with a couple of couches.' In fact, it did seem just that - a modified cargo area of sorts. She passed the flat, yellow couch. Up another flight of steps, much longer than the first. She was almost there.  
  
But something stopped her. She leaned against the wall right outside the kitchen as her heart began to beat with such ferocity that she feared it might burst. She imagined this is what the fat guy who keeled over from a heart attack in a bar she had once frequented must have felt like right before he hit the floor cold. 'No way! I'm to young to - ' Faye stopped mid-thought. "So was Spike." She knew now why she was afraid to enter the kitchen. She was afraid to see Jet. After last night, she didn't want to be around him, and she certainly didn't want to talk to him, but she didn't quite know why. Maybe she was afraid he would find her tears weak and push her away...wait, what was she thinking?! She didn't care what Jet thought; she was going to eat her damn breakfast, even if she didn't have much of an appetite.  
  
He had heard the sobbing from her quarters, even if they were a few passageways down. He had known how much Spike meant to her, even if she had a cruel and taunting way of showing it. God knows, Spike had grown on him in the past 3 years they had worked together. They had been through thick and thin, he and the kid, and now it was all over. It felt kinda like.kinda like he hadn't eaten in a long, long while. Although the food sizzled right in front of him, his stomach - and his heart - were too heavy to allow it.  
  
He had just pretended like it was any other day, making the usual rounds around the ship, checking for air leaks and any other damage, and cleaning up as best he could with one operational leg. He took out an old handkerchief and scrubbed at a stain on a window, but it was an empty, soulless motion. His dark gaze glided out into space, unfocused and cold. He had overheard the conversation between Spike and Faye, just before the kid left. Both Faye and Jet knew he wasn't coming back, and although they had their different ways of showing it, they felt the same on the inside. Jet wasn't much of the emotional type, and so had just blocked the pain with everyday activities, but Faye, for the first time that he had known of, broke down and cried for hours on end. "Annoying girl," he had huffed. But after the initial feeling of annoyance had died down, he felt pity. It was a sick feeling, and he didn't like it.  
  
His thoughts drifted back to the troublemaking minx a few halls away. He'd be sure to fix her a special breakfast.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
OK, first chapter is done. What'd ya think? Yeah, yeah, kinda short, but even if this story doesn't get many reviews, I plan on continuing it as long as I see fit. See ya next chapter! 


	2. Get Any Sleep?

Disclaimer - I don't own Bebop, but I wish I did.  
  
Author's Note: Wow, friendly reviews for the first chapter! @.@ Heh. Forgot to say this in the first chapter - I strongly suggest you watch the whole series (or at least the last two episodes) before reading this fic, since it deals with my version of what happens after The Real Folk Blues Part 2. Now, on with the story.  
  
Carry That Weight  
  
Chapter 2: Get Any Sleep?  
  
  
  
Faye entered to kitchen quickly and quietly, as if some invisible shadow were nipping at her heels, urging her to continue forward. Leaning against a wall, she could see Jet was just where she thought he would be - over the banged up stove, keeping his scarred face down, and his eyes away from hers'. He just stirred the oatmeal for another minute or two and poured it into two bowls. He shifted to one foot, about to turn around, but he stopped. Faye could hear him sigh loudly. She blinked.  
  
'Could..could he be afraid to talk to me?' She cocked her head to the side, trying to see his face, but it was a lost effort.  
  
Jet slowly raised his hollow eyes to a basket hanging overhead, fastened to a cabinet handle with paper clips. He reached for the splintered old thing, pulled out a candy bar, and stared at it longingly.  
  
'A waste of fifty woo-longs. Oh, well. So long, little buddy.' Slowly, he turned to face Faye, but she only received a fleeting glance before he began a thorough inspection of his metal-plated feet. He grabbed the two bowls of watered-down oatmeal and a couple of spoons, and trudged down the steps to the couches, still tenaciously avoiding her gaze. Faye could plainly see he was having a lot of trouble moving around trying to balance two bowls, a crutch and a candy bar. She hesitated for a moment before walking over to him and taking the food from his hands, placing it neatly on the foot table between the couches and beckoning for the older man to sit down next to her. His expression suddenly hardened to a glare as he looked cautiously at her. What was she up to? Maybe she was trying to scam him out of his last remaining woo-longs.  
  
'Or maybe she's just being nice.' He finally gave in with a growl and plopped down next to her, making the deflated cushion bounce with his weight. Without a word, he snapped up the spoon from his bowl and shoved a bite into his mouth.  
  
An uncomfortable silence settled over the Bebop as the two bounty hunters ate their meal. Faye absently twirled a strand of shining purple hair around her delicate fingers; Jet's watchful eyes never left his bowl. It seemed like an eternity before they finished. They both deliberately took as long as possible to finish the bland oatmeal, as if they were waiting for something to happen. Finally, Jet set down his bowl and exhaled. He shifted carefully in his seat.  
  
"Get any sleep?" Faye arched her eyebrows. 'He's actually talking to me?' She was surprised, since she had guessed he wouldn't talk to her for at least a few more days. Suddenly, anger bubbled up inside of her. He had no right to ask her a question that he already knew the answer to. Jet was going to tease her; she just knew it. But why would he do something that would hurt her? She searched his eyes for the truth, but he still evaded her as strongly as ever. They both knew it would be a long time before things were back to normal, and an even longer time before they recovered from the loss of Spike. No words needed to be exchanged between them for the two to figure that out.  
  
"No," she answered flatly. He looked at her for a long time before gradually turning his head away with a nod. 'Why did I open my mouth..' Before he could mentally kick himself, a series of long, droning beeps rang out. Jet grasped his clutch and limped to the computer, relieved to get away from Faye and the tension surrounding her. A small icon flashed on and off, casting a red bar of light across the corresponding wall, its heading reading "ISSP - URGENT!" Jet narrowed his eyes and opened the file quickly. A vid-window popped up, displaying a grim-looking, gray-haired man. 'Will..what could he possibly want?'  
  
Will Iverson, an old acquaintance of Jet's from his days with the ISSP, had never been one to drop in unannounced, even for vid-chats. He was painfully meticulous when it came to meetings and the like, and always told his associates when and where they would meet again. As far as Jet could recall, Will had said they wouldn't be conversing again until sometime around early 2072..Jet couldn't really remember, he wasn't good with dates. All he knew is that it must've been something incredibly important for his old friend to break his own rules in such a fashion. "Jet, is that you?" Will's deep voice crackled to life over the computer. "Yeah, go ahead Will." The older man paused. "Are you alone?" Jet raised his solemn face to Faye. The purple-haired woman nodded in silent understanding and left the room. "Yes." "You might wanna sit down. I've got some bad news for you."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Second chapter done. Man, no matter how many times I try to go back and reword, revise, and add to this fic, it just seems TOO SHORT!!! Ah, well. I'll just change to a font size 14. ^____^  
  
Next Time: Jet learns of some severe information, Faye eavesdrops, and things take a turn for the worst. 


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